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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. scale — in music
  3. bank — of a river
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. degree — temperature
  6. scale — size or range
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. bank — for money
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bank — for money
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. field — for sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com